


What A Headache

by artbyweb86



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Dr. Stra(i)nge, Happy Ending, Headaches & Migraines, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Their neighbor makes a brief appearance, sick phil, why do they have so many stairs?, worried Dan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-09
Updated: 2016-12-09
Packaged: 2018-09-06 07:04:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8739418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artbyweb86/pseuds/artbyweb86
Summary: Phil suffers from a terrible migraine while Dan is away.





	

**Phil – Saturday 12pm**

 

The shrill jingle of his alarm woke him from a restless sleep. He groaned and slapped around for his alarm until he found the annoying object. Cracking an eye open, the light seemed too bright today, and he quickly shut his eyes. Another quick glance at the clock told him it was noon.

 

Most days he would get up around 10:30, after going to bed fairly early, 12 or 1 am, compared to Dan’s internet quest until falling asleep at 4 ritual. But, despite going to bed early, he didn’t sleep well. He tossed and turned, trying to ignore the building pressure in his head.

 

On days when either one of them would sleep in later than usual, one would knock on his door to make sure the other was alive. But, Dan was visiting his parents, as it was his mom’s birthday and would be away until evening.

 

It seemed like clock work on the weekends. Why did it have to be weekends? Small headache the night before and wake up with a pounding in his head. Migraines the doctor tells him. Usually onset by dehydration; a combination of too much coffee and not enough water. Oh, and spending too much time squinting at the computer. Could also be hereditary and his father gets them too. As if being clumsy and having bad vision wasn’t bad enough. He couldn’t catch a break. Most days he was able to stave off the intensity. Today wasn’t one of those days.

 

He suddenly felt nauseous. Trying his best not to kill himself in the process, keeping his eyes shut, he bolted for the bathroom. He got there just in time. He rested his head on the toilet seat, waiting for his stomach to settle. He then rinsed out his mouth before heading to the kitchen. Not bothering with turning on the lights, he grabbed a glass and filled it with water, practically downing it in one gulp. He filled his glass again. Nursing it this time.

 

Was he hungry after that? No, but he knew he had to eat something. Careful to not make too much noise, he looked through the cabinets to find something.

 

Crackers and some jam would have to do. As he was slowly eating, he felt his head filling with more pressure and pain, making him actually gasp out loud. Thus in turn, his legs almost gave out on him. He slowly sat on the floor, trying to breath through the new wave a nausea that came quickly. He sat with his head between his knees for a few minutes.

 

This technique usually worked. He would get like this sometimes as a kid and his mom showed him what to do if he felt sick or dizzy.

 

It wasn’t working.

 

In fact, he was starting to feel dizzy. Spots dancing around his eyes. He decided to lay on his side, hoping it would help, as well as prevent himself from hitting his head on anything, if he did pass out.

 

The last thought he had before darkness overtook him, I should have brought my phone with me.

 

**Dan – Saturday 9 am**

 

Today was his mother’s birthday. He was actually looking forward to seeing his family. He had been so busy with projects and their tour the last year or so. It would be nice to get away for the day. A change of scenery, Phil would always say.

 

He had gotten up early, 7 am, to catch his train.

 

The night before, he told Phil all of his plans. He was hoping to surprise his mom, give her a nice present, and then take her out to dinner. His Dad and brother were in on the plan too.

 

He was a little worried about Phil, as he was really quiet during this conversation. Maybe mumbling a few acknowledgements, but being strangely quiet during the rest of the evening. Usually he was upbeat and trying to give me ideas of what to do with the day.

 

He had asked what was wrong, but all Phil said was he had a headache. He took some medication for it and would retire to bed shortly, hoping to get rid of it for the next day.

 

Even his movements seemed pained when he got up from the couch to go to the bathroom.

 

A few minutes later he heard Phil closing his bedroom door and assumed he wouldn’t be coming back out. He really did look drained.

 

Taking a peek in Phil’s room this morning, confirmed that he was fast asleep.

 

He sent Phil a quick text, just saying feel better and to take it easy today. Then slipped out into the chilly morning, on his way to the train.

 

Now that he was close to his hometown, he took a quick glance at his phone, knowing it was a bit early and Phil would probably sleep in, so wouldn’t be surprised if he got a reply later in the day. He pocketed his phone as he saw he was approaching his station. He could see his brother and Dad waiting on the platform. Picking up his backpack, he exited the car with a big smile on his face.

 

**Phil – 2 pm**

He awoke with a start. His head still pounding and feeling like he got run over by a car, he tried to sit up. A new wave of dizziness threatened to topple him, but he finally sat up and leaned against the cabinets, trying to figure out his next plan.

 

Water. Drink some water.

 

Thinking in short bursts like this seemed to help guide him in the right direction.

 

Was it weird that the voice sounded like Dan?

 

He found his glass shattered on the floor, he didn’t remember dropping it. He got up slowly, carefully stepped over the pieces to get another glass.

 

Get a mug. Has handles.

 

Better idea.

 

He picked the first mug he saw, which happened to be a dan and phil shop mug. He filled it again with water. Sipping slowly. Stomach protesting a little bit, but no nausea. He grabbed a few more crackers.

 

Bathroom. Pills.

 

Good plan.

 

The bathroom wasn’t very far; he just had to be careful on the stairs. On a good day, he trips on the stairs fifty percent of the time. His legs already wobbly, he was glad for the railings.

 

Left. Right. Left. Right. Only a few more steps.

 

He made it. He let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. He found his migraine pills and took his dosage. Waiting a few minutes and then drinking the rest of the water in his mug.

 

Phone. Find your phone.

 

He headed for the first logical place he could think of. His room. That was where he was last, so he slowly made his way there.

 

It seemed so far away.

 

The whole distance from the bathroom to his room felt like he had just run a triathlon. He was really tired and shaky. He couldn’t find his phone, as he usually leaves it on his bedside table and it wasn’t on the bed either. He wasn’t about to turn on any lights and go searching. His energy was all but gone.

 

Sleep.

 

The medication seemed to be kicking in. Or was it? He couldn’t tell. The journey to the bathroom and his bedroom was exhausting! He crawled into bed and passed out quickly.

 

**Dan – 5 pm**

 

Laughter. It filled the comfy booth they shared. He couldn’t remember a time when he and his family shared a good laugh together. They always seemed busy or distracted in one-way or another. He knew they didn’t understand his humor and would often laugh awkwardly if he tried. Maybe Phil was rubbing off on him, because now his family all seemed to be laughing with him and not at him.

 

They were out to a nice sushi place. Having just finished their meal and looking over the dessert menu, Dan decided to give his mother her gift. It was a gold heart locket necklace with a picture in it. One side was of Dan and Phil and the other side was a silly photo-booth picture of Dan, Phil, Adrian, Martin and Cornelia. On the back in small letters was an engraving. “With all the love in our hearts”.

 

His mother beamed brightly and put in on immediately.

 

“Honey, this is so touching! I love it and will cherish it forever! Where is Phil by the way? He was invited too, you know?”

 

“He wasn’t feeling well, he gets migraines pretty bad every once in a while. He would have loved to come, but he really doesn’t function well when it hits him. He does send his love, though.” Dan said.

 

His mother winced and nodded sympathetically.

 

He hadn’t thought about it much while at dinner. But the worried feeling came back. He didn’t have to check his phone to know that he didn’t get any texts, he would have felt a vibration if one did.

 

They were waiting for dessert, so he excused himself to go to the bathroom. He checked his phone, no texts or calls from Phil. That really worried him. Even when one of them was sick, they would endlessly text to complain about how bad it was. There were no new twitter updates either. He quickly logged into tumblr, extreme measures, but he had to do it. No new cat or dog postings.

 

He sent Phil a few texts. When he didn’t answer after a minute, he called him. No answer, and went to voicemail. He called a few more times. Slightly worried now, he thought about calling one of his neighbors.

 

Feeling brave, he did just that. No one picked up. Cursing under his breath, he wracked his brain.

 

Chris!

 

He knew he was home. And was only 20 minutes from their apartment.

 

He called.

 

“Hello? Dan?”

 

“Chris! I’m sorry for calling at such a strange time. But, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?”

 

“Sure?”

 

“Would you go to our apartment and check on Phil? Weird request I know. But he was suffering from a migraine last night and they usually get worse the next day. I am in Reading right now with family, and I can’t reach him. He hasn’t texted me or called. And I have a really bad feeling. You have a key to our place, yeah?”

 

“Oh goodness. I do have the key. I’m sure he is fine. Maybe he has been sleeping all day. My aunt suffers from migraines and usually sleeps all day with the medication she takes. But I will head over there right now. Give me a half hour. I’ll give you an update.”

 

After thanking Chris profusely, he hung up.

 

He returned to the table to find the dessert already at the table.

 

His mother looked at him, a worried look on her face.

 

“Honey, you alright? You look a little pale. You were in the bathroom at least 15 minutes.”

 

His mom put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

 

“Maybe I’m being paranoid, but I have a bad feeling about Phil. He hasn’t texted or called me. Usually we are connected in some way. We keep each other updated about everything. I even called my friend to go over there and check on him. I’m sorry Mom, this shouldn’t be about that. I didn’t mean to spoil the mood.”

 

“Daniel James, you could never do anything to spoil a mood, a day, a whatever. You are worried about someone you love. I think that says a lot about a person. About you. He may be sleeping and fighting his migraine and he will be ok. It’s ok to ask for help too. There is nothing you can do right now, so let’s enjoy our dessert. ”

 

**Chris – 7 pm**

After hanging up with Dan, he let out a quick breath. He never heard Dan sound like that. Panic wasn’t the right word, but it was close to it.

 

He put on his jacket and gathered his things. Looking through his miscellaneous drawer, he found his box of keys. Finding the one for Dan and Phil’s apartment, he stuck it on his key ring and out he went.

 

Getting on the Tube, he started getting nervous. Would he be able to get in the apartment? What would he find? Phil will just be sleeping, right? He pushed all those thoughts away as he got out and started the few minute walk to their apartment.

 

Climbing the stairs two at a time, he finally reached the door. He knocked first. Silence on the other end. He tried the knob. Locked as he anticipated. He used his key and stepped in.

 

He entered the living room first. Nothing looked out the ordinary. No Phil in here.

 

Spotting Phil’s phone on the sofa, he picked it up. Several missed calls and texts from Dan. None of them answered. He stuck it in his pocket and made his way further in to the apartment.

 

Kitchen.

 

Turning on the light, he saw the shattered glass on the floor. Was that vomit?

 

Bedroom.

 

Entering the room, he could make a figure out on the bed. Phil.

 

He turned on Phil’s bedside lamp, so he could get a better look.

 

Phil was curled up at the end of the bed, looking very pale and sweaty. Curled up and had a pained look on his face. But he was asleep or passed out, because his eyes were closed and didn’t respond to being touched. Placing a hand on his forehead, he could tell he was burning up. Phil stirred a little, mumbling a little, but nothing coherent.

 

As hard as he tried, even calling his name, he couldn’t rouse him from this current state. He decided calling for an ambulance was the best option. No way he could carry him to a cab in the condition he was in.

 

Giving the 999 dispatch the information and address that they needed, he hung up and called Dan.

 

**Dan – 745 pm**

 

They had finished paying the bill and were waiting for a cab when Dan’s phone vibrated.

 

He quickly picked up.

 

“Chris! Is Phil ok?” He asked with baited breath.

 

“He’s not in the best of shape. He is in a lot of pain and running a high fever. I tried to get him to wake up, but he is barely coherent. I called an ambulance, because I don’t want to move him. They should be here any minute. They said I could ride with them. I’ll keep you updated. I assume you are coming back? Sorry that I couldn’t give you better news.”

 

“Yes, I am about 2 hours away, hopefully I can get a train right away. Thank you for being there.”

 

He hung up and just as his parents were about to ask, a cab pulled up next to them.

 

They got in and before he could say anything, his dad gave the cab driver the destination. Train Station.

 

His brother spoke up. “I looked up the next train to London, its in 20 minutes, since we are only a few minutes from the station, we will go right there.”

 

They pulled up to the station and he jumped out. His mother followed, pulling him into a big hug. Both clung to each other for about a minute.

 

“I’m sorry I can’t stay longer mum, but I am glad we got to do this. Once Phil is better, I’ll bring him along. He would love to see you guys again.”

 

“I look forward to that. Text me when you get back and let me know how he is. It’s a terrible thing he is going through right now, but he is in good hands now with doctors. Stay strong, ok dear? He will be fine.”

 

She pulled him into another hug and kissed him on the cheek.

 

He waved good-bye to her and as she got back in the cab. His dad waved and his brother held up hand hearts with a goofy smile on his face. He rolled his eyes, but smiled and returned one back, before he headed to the platform.

 

The train came a few minutes later and he boarded.

 

This would be a long 2 hours.

 

**Chris – 815 pm**

The ambulance had come and the paramedics moved quickly and professionally. Carefully assessing Phil and asking simple but important questions. They swiftly placed him on a gurney and motioned for him to follow.

 

Once inside the vehicle, they hooked him up to heart monitor, quickly showing his rapid heart rate and hooking him up to some IV fluids. He made sure to stay out of the way, but closely watching Phil, hoping to see some signs of improvement. He was moaning a little from the pain.

 

They arrived at the hospital and the doctor was waiting for them. He gave a quick assessment and said they will be taking him up for some tests and would come get him when they moved him to a room.

 

He found the waiting room and sat down. Pulling out his phone in a slight daze of the whirlwind events, he texted Dan a quick update. Dan texted back saying he should be back in London about 10 and to the hospital around 10:30pm depending on traffic.

 

He looked around and saw a half full room. Nurses and other personnel were busy trying to make sure they the flow of patients coming in and going out was smartly paced.

 

He waited another hour before he heard any news.

 

“Family of Phil Lester?” A young and tired looking nurse called out.

 

Awkwardly standing up he raised his hand.

 

“I came with him in the ambulance, he is my friend.”

 

“You can come with me, he is in the ICU. A doctor will be in shortly to give you an update.”

 

After walking a few minutes, they came to a small but comfortable room. Phil was laying on his back, hooked up to monitors and a few IVs. He hesitated a bit, but the nurse gave him a smile and he sat down in the chair next to the bed.

 

Not knowing what else to do, he found the remote for the TV and turned it on. The Great British Bake Off was playing. He knew that was Dan and Phil’s favorite show.

 

A doctor opened the curtains and started checking the monitors and making a few notes in the chart at the end of the bed.

 

“You are Chris, right? You came with him in the ambulance? My name is Dr. Strainge.”

 

“Yes! How is he?”

 

“He was suffering from an acute migraine attack. I see in his history that he gets migraines from time to time. But this one seemed quite potent. On rare occasions, if this type of migraine lingers for long enough it can cause high fever and seizures. Fortunately he didn’t experience the latter. However if he was left any longer his fever could have gotten higher and the risk of him having one was greater.

 

He is mildly sedated at the moment. We have him on some fluids from the IVs you see there. He is recovering nicely and we should be able to wake him up in the next few hours, but we want him to rest. He may be able to go home tomorrow.

 

If you have any questions or if you need a nurse for any reason, there is a button on the bed you can press. I’ll be making rounds for my other patients now, but will be back to check on him.”

 

“Thank you doctor.”

 

He sent another text update sent to Dan.

 

Sitting in the chair, he suddenly felt tired. All the adrenaline from discovering Phil in that state, to the ambulance ride and then waiting and not knowing, had escaped him.

 

Turning his attention back to the television, he saw that the baking show was in the middle of a heated baking event. Not sure what they were making, he felt himself slowly drifting into sleep.

 

**Dan – 1045 pm**

His train ride had gone smoothly. He was now in a cab a few minutes from the hospital.

 

Arriving at the hospital entrance he quickly paid the driver and power walked to the front desk.

 

A male nurse was sitting at the desk. He was in the middle of typing something in the computer, but without looking up he said, “Can I help you?”

 

“Yes, my husband, Phil Lester, was admitted earlier this evening. Can you tell me what room he is in?”

 

The nurse looked up for a second to see whom he was talking with, nodded, focused on the screen again and was silent for a second.

 

“Ah! Here, he is on floor 2, room 2003.”

 

The elevator was nearby with someone already getting in on an open one so he slipped in before the door closed. The 2nd floor was already lit up. He waited anxiously for the door open.

 

Thankfully he didn’t have to search far for the room. There was no door, rather thick curtains for privacy.

 

He slowly opened the curtain to reveal what was inside.

 

He gasped when he first spotted Phil. Hooked up to a monitor and IVs. He wanted to cry. He had never seen him look so small and pale. But he didn’t look like he was in pain and was comfortably sleeping.

 

Hearing a small snore, he turned to see Chris sleeping in a chair a few feet away.

 

Touching Chris’s shoulder he gently shook him, trying not to scare him.

 

He opened his eyes, stretching and focused in on Dan’s face. He jumped up with a happy shout and pulled him into a hug. They clung to each other for a minute, tears forming in their eyes.

 

“Chris, thank you so much for helping him. You have no idea how much that means to me. I wish he told me that his migraine was getting worse, he’s just too stubborn to let me help and probably didn’t want me to miss my mother’s birthday.”

 

“Hey, he is going to be fine. The doctors want to wake him up soon to evaluate him and he should be fine to go home tomorrow. Speaking of which, I will head out and let you have some time with him. Call me in the morning and I will come with my friend’s car to pick you up. Phil won’t want to ride the tube and a cab is too much.”

 

“Ok, thank you Chris. We will take you out for dinner soon. A thank you of sorts, yeah?”

 

“That would be great. I look forward to it. Get some sleep, ok? You’ve had a long day yourself, no need to be sleep deprived while Phil is sleeping.”

 

They hugged each other one more time and Chris left.

 

Pulling the chair closer to the bed, he grasped Phil’s hand in his and with his other placed a strand of fringe back in its place.

 

“Oh Philly, why didn’t you tell me you were in so much pain. You know I hate to see you in discomfort. You are such a spoon. My silly Philly. Did you know your doctor is Dr. Strainge? Different spelling though. Haha. I bet he gets so many movie references aimed his way, now that the movie is out. I bet you would have…”

 

The doctor popped his head around the corner of the curtain. “I haven’t gotten tired of it, not yet anyway. Haha. Sorry to disturb you. Just want to check on my patient. I am guessing you are Dan?”

 

“Oh God, sorry. My friend Chris updated me a little. Any new news?”

 

“I was going to wake him up to check on him, but he is stable and there was no adverse affects from his migraine attack. From what little we could get out of him before we sedated him, he hadn’t been sleeping much. Maybe you noticed? So we will let him sleep until morning. We will wake him then. If everything looks OK, he is free to go home.”

 

“Oh, thank you Dr. He has been complaining of headaches this week, only yesterday he told me it became a migraine, though he is stubborn and likes to protect me, so it could have been going on longer. He can hide it very well. And we have pretty different sleep schedules, so I don’t…”

 

“I am not here to judge. I am also not a nutritionist, but I have some guidelines of a diet he can follow. Hopefully lessen the headaches he gets and prevent migraines. A nurse will drop off the papers in a little bit. I will let you stay here if you want, but if anything should happen, we may have to ask you to leave room, so we can work on him. Though I don’t think that will be necessary. I will be back in the morning. Nurses will be by to check on him every now and then.”

 

He grabbed the paper and glanced over it quickly. Folding it and stuffing it in his pants pocket he sat in the chair and immediately took Phil’s hand in his own again. He plugged his phone in the outlet next to him. This revealed that it was almost midnight. Taking Chris’s advice, he settled into the chair, making sure to still keep contact with Phil and closed his eyes.

 

**Phil – Sunday 9 am**

 

Something pulled him from his sleep. Slowly opening his eyes, adjusting to the small amount of light coming into the room, he saw a nurse adjusting his IV. Her eyes lit up and gave him a big smile.

 

“Glad to see you are finally awake,” she whispered. She pointed to the other side of the bed and he turned.

 

Dan was half sitting in the chair and half slumped on the bed. His head had found his way to the mattress, hand still in his, slightly snoring.

 

“The doctor will be in a little while. He would like to speak with you and you should be able to go home soon. Dan can fill you in on what happened. You look refreshed.”

 

“Thanks, I feel a lot better.”

 

The nurse smile, took a few notes in his chart and left.

 

Phil remembered bits and pieces of last night, but everything got blurry when he got into his bed.

 

He gently shook Dan.

 

Dan sat up with a sharp inhale. Immediately regretting that decision, he groaned and grabbed his neck. Working out the soreness, he turned to Phil, who was staring at him, with those big blue eyes. Those beautiful eyes, looking clearer and sharp than they had in days. No pain or dullness of not feeling well clouded them.

 

He gave a “manly” squeal and wrapped Phil in a hug. They didn’t want to let go. Dan eventually pulled back. They managed to get in a quick kiss before the doctor interrupted.

 

“Sorry guys! Phil! I’m glad you are awake. How do you feel?”

 

“I feel good! Maybe a little weak, but my head no longer hurts, so I guess that’s an improvement from last night.”

 

“Indeed it is. I just want to do a few short tests and you should be free to go home.”

 

While the doctor was evaluating Phil, Dan got his phone out and texted Chris. He responded almost immediately and would be there within the hour.

 

“Ok, everything looks good! I want you to take it easy the next couple days. No strenuous excercise or heavy lifting. I will write you a prescription for migraine medication and only take it when you really need it. And try and follow the diet guideline that I gave Dan. It may improve your headaches and thus in turn, hopefully prevent migraines. And if doesn’t help, seek other options as well. Don’t give up hope on that. Alright, you may get dressed and leave. I am glad you are feeling better and hopefully we won’t see you here for a very long time.”

 

With that, the doctor turned on his heal and left.

 

Phil grabbed his clothes and got dressed.

 

Dan wrapped an arm around Phil’s waist, giving him a kiss on the head, and said, “Phil, let’s go home.”

 

**Across the hall Neighbor (let’s call him Steve) – 1130 am**

Something felt strange about this weekend. He couldn’t quite place it.

 

Silence.

 

Oh, yeah. That’s what it was. Silence.

 

Silence was a rare thing in this apartment building.

 

It was the weekend, so the builders downstairs where not working. That was silence, but not what he was thinking of.

 

The busy world of London streets was always present. That was never silent, but that had become like white noise to him

 

The neighbors. Dan and Phil to be exact.

 

They made a lot of noise. Playing music or video games, shouting and making weird noises. Interesting cooking smells wafting in at all strange hours of the night.

 

But this weekend was silent. He didn’t think they were away, they usually leave a note, asking to keep an eye on anything suspicious or if any packages got left at their door.

 

They had just come back from tour. 3 months in the United States. Silence then too.

 

Thinking about it, he actually missed the strange ways of these two boys. It was weird to think about. Their way of living seemed a little unorthodox to most people, but they shared a true understanding of each other and it seemed to work for them.

 

When silence came, it almost felt like a part of the building was missing.

 

Just then, he heard the door to the building close shut and two people have a conversation.

 

“Dan, why did we choose to live on the third floor? Ughhh!”

 

“Stop complaining. I’ll help you up the stairs if you need it. Take your time. The doctor said you will be a little weak for a bit. One step at a time.”

 

Steve smiled. There they are.

 

“I can read you this nutrition guide the doctor gave you. I am going to make something for you now, so you don’t collapse on me. And drink plenty of water.”

 

“Dannnnny…I just want to sleep.”

 

“Philllly…food and drink first. I don’t want to find you on the floor with another migraine attack and have to take you the hospital again. See, one more floor.”

 

“Fine. This will be a great video to make.”

 

Huh, interesting. He was not expecting that.

 

They were at the door now. Some rustling of bags could be heard.

 

“God, can’t find my keys!”

 

“Dan! What have I told you, always…”

 

“Kidding, kidding. Have them right here.”

 

Door opening.

 

“Phil! Don’t put that there, your gonna trip on it!”

 

Door closed. And the sound of muffled talking/arguing could be heard.

 

Boys. Noise. Welcome Back.


End file.
